A brewing company has set its sights on breaking into the Chinese beer market after securing orders in Hong Kong and Shanghai for 12,000 bottles of its spirit-infused beer.

Baijiu Beer Company, which produces craft beer combined with China’s national spirit Baijiu, will ship its first international order in January after only three months of development in the Chinese market.

The export order was secured with support from advisers dedicated to Yorkshire businesses at the Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). The Craft Beer Alliance, which helps UK brewers break into the Chinese market, also helped the firm to find buyers.

It came shortly after the Sheffield-based firm’s produce turned heads last month, at Food & Hotel China (FHC), a major food and drink trade show held in Shanghai. The brewer was exhibiting alongside other Yorkshire firms as part of the Food is GREAT campaign, the UK Government’s drive to showcase UK food and drink abroad.

Last year, food and drink exports to China from Yorkshire and the Humber increased by 152 per cent. The country has specifically acquired a taste for UK beer, with brewers seeing a 500 per cent rise in the value of exports last year.

Mark Robson, regional director for Yorkshire and the Humber at the DIT, said: “This shows how much opportunity there currently is for UK producers in East Asia, and Baijiu Beer Company has tapped into this trend with a brand and product that speaks to Chinese consumers. However, the Chinese market isn’t without its complexities, so we have 29 International Trade Advisers based across Yorkshire and the Humber on hand to support firms like this to navigate new territories.”

Baijiu Beer Company also sells its beers into Chinese supermarkets and restaurants in the UK and is looking at moving into the Chinese market in the US.

Firms looking for support should contact 0300 365 1000 or email yorkshire@mobile.trade.gov.uk. They can also visit great.gov.uk, which gives UK businesses access to millions of pounds’ worth of potential overseas business, helping them start or increase exporting.